When I went on college tours—about ten in all—I thought that it was important to see a dorm room, especially if it was a “typical first-year room.” I knew that housing should not be the deciding factor in where I went to college, but it was important to me to be able to ask myself, “Could I be happy living here?” Some schools didn’t have guided, indoor tours during the summer before my senior year due to COVID, so instead I went to their websites to get a better idea of what type of dorm I could expect to live in. Currently, Swarthmore has an “example dorm room” on the admissions tour. I’m sure it was chosen because of its accessibility and proximity to the admissions office, but it is not really representative of first-year dorm rooms on campus. If you go on the tour and see a beautiful room with high ceilings and three huge windows, you can think of it as a good representation of typical square-footage of a double and standard dorm furniture, but know that you will never live in a room exactly like that because it is the only one like it on campus. However, you might live in another pretty cool room, even as a first-year. Looking back, I would tell “16-year-old me” to not worry about seeing a dorm room on tours, because, at least for Swarthmore, there is no truly “representative” dorm room. All the dorms are so different: vintage or modern, central or secluded, single sex or coed, lively or quiet… there’s something for everyone.
The two dorms that I’ve lived in have both been profiled relatively recently on Swat Stories, so I’ve decided to highlight two dorms that, as far as I can tell, have never been featured on this blog: Woolman and Kyle. I have a connection to these dorms this year because they are two of the dorms where I am serving as a SAM (Student Academic Mentor). These dorms are unique for two reasons: First, they are the only dorms on the north end of campus, which means they are very close to the academic buildings, specifically the Science Center (Chemistry, Math, and Physics) and Singer Hall (Biology, Engineering, and Psychology). Second, they are the two smallest dorms, and would be more appropriately called houses.
If you go to the Living@Swarthmore section of the college website, you can watch a video tour of the dorms, see some pictures, and read the descriptions. Woolman House is described as follows: “Nestled in the residential community right behind campus, Woolman offers the feel of off-campus living with the convenience of on-campus amenities and support. Just a short five-minute walk from the Science Center, Woolman is an upper-class only residential community that houses 22 residents.…Each floor in Woolman has several rooms and shared bathrooms. All rooms have hardwood floors, and most boast large windows. Residents will also have access to a kitchen, laundry facility, and communal lounge with a piano, fireplace, and a computer station.”
Kyle House has been missing from the Residence Hall Profiles since it was reopened as a dorm several years ago after being renovated. The online tour guide describes it this way: “Kyle House is a small house with nine student beds, 3 singles and 3 doubles.The dorm is available for women-identified upperclass students. It offers wooden floors and charming rooms with unique fixtures in each room. A popular feature of Kyle is the screened porch with Adirondack furniture.” Since there’s not much info about Kyle on the Swarthmore website, I asked some residents of Kyle to share their thoughts about living there…
“I really love how spacious the rooms are and how quiet Kyle is. Living in a small and intimate community such as Kyle, I am able to enjoy the peaceful mornings as the light streams into the room and study late into the night, without any neighboring distractions. I think that the fact that it’s an actual house facilitates community bonding. Earlier in the semester, we decided to hold a study session in the kitchen and a movie night in the living room—it was really fun. My advice to future Kyle residents is to cherish and take advantage of the quiet space here—I think instead of going to the libraries late into the night, I am going to start studying here.”
“I like Kyle because it’s a small, intimate, homey, and warm space. Only nine women are living in this house, and we share the kitchen, the bathroom, the laundry, and the living room. Unfortunately, the rooms don’t have good sound insulation, especially on the first floor. But luckily everybody has been trying to respect each other’s boundaries and space.”
“I enjoy how calm and accessible it is living in Kyle. I appreciate not having to live amongst so many people and not having to walk uphill every morning is such a relief. It is also a Garnet Shuttle stop which is pretty convenient, when the shuttle does come. To future Kyle residents: Be prepared for silence and the occasional deer spotting walking to Kyle or Woolman. Build a connection with the EVS Techs within your residence hall – they’re cool people.”
For people who like the idea of going “home” after a day on campus, who want to live in a dorm that feels more like a house, or who want to be able to get to 8:30 am science classes in 5 minutes, Woolman or Kyle (if you identify as female) are definitely living options to consider.